Agency is having control and taking action in the situation. Lucy staying broken up with Tim doesn’t give her more control just because she makes him suffer. She needs to take charge. Yes, Tim has to work for it, but Tim fighting to get Lucy back is still giving him more agency in the situation. It’s him deciding when and if he wants to get back together and how much effort he puts into it until she says okay.

So what I argue is for after they talk about everything, Lucy decides if they can get back together and what needs to happen so that she can trust Tim again. Yes, it is still Tim working to regain her trust, but it is on Lucy’s terms. I think that’s why it was key that they had Tim say whatever small doses she’ll allow. To give her agency in what she accepts. I’m saying let her take the lead on getting back together by saying what she needs in this relationship.

They should go to therapy. They should have Lucy talk about how much Tim hurt her by breaking up with her. Make Tim do the work, and then Lucy can decide to forgive him if she wants. That’s why Tim didn’t ask for her forgiveness. Because asking for it puts pressure on her to do it and is another way to take away her agency. That’s why she has to be the one to decide if and when to forgive him and repair the relationship. I’m simply saying it should happen sooner rather than later so we have all the time to really explore all of that. I want to see Lucy take control instead of waiting it out to some nebulous time where she feels ready to take Tim back for whatever reason.

I get the impulse to make Tim suffer. But I think we have to consider who Lucy is. After everything, she still loves Tim. She doesn’t want to hurt him anymore than she wants to hurt herself. She also has a background in psychology. She more than anyone should know not to punish him more for what he was doing in punishing himself. And she is an empathetic person, so how much pain can she really want Tim to experience? How much watching Tim suffer would also make her suffer?

No one wants Lucy to be a pushover, but where is the limit where Tim has supposedly done enough for her to even try? What does he have to say and do? And is that not him taking charge of the situation if he asks to be taken back?

Consider this scenario for how it can work so Lucy has agency: For a few weeks, Tim has been trying to repay Lucy’s kindness like he said he would do. Lucy wonders if this is all an effort to try to win her back so she confronts him. They have the talk about the break up, and Tim says he knows he messed up and doesn’t expect her to take him back. He isn’t doing this to try to win her back. He’s doing it because she deserves to know how much he values her with no expectation of a reward for him for it. Then Lucy decides that she wants them back together. If he broke them up, it’s her decision to get back together. But things will have to change and Tim has to be willing to make those changes if they have any hope of working out.

Lucy in charge of the situation is what I want. And I want the break up over sooner because I want to move on to the next phase of fixing the relationship. But that in no way means I want Lucy to just be suddenly happy with Tim and act like they don’t have problems anymore. That’s what I fear will happen if the break up drags on too long. Spending too much time in the break up phase that by the time it is finally resolved and Lucy forgives Tim, the audience will be so relieved that they don’t want to see them unhappy anymore. So the next time we see them, they are all happy as if the break up cured all the problems that they have. Break ups don’t cure problems. A lengthy break up doesn’t suddenly make everything better just because it takes so long. Fixing the problem cures the problem.

I’m not asking for Lucy to forgive Tim quickly and then go right back to being happy in their relationship. I’m asking for Tim do everything he needs to do to earn Lucy’s trust again while they are actively working on repairing their relationship. So that we see them going through all the mess like an actual couple would if they want to work on their relationship. It’s the same result of Tim working to earn back Lucy’s trust, but instead of “Will they/won’t they get back together?” It is “Will they/won’t they make this work?”

In my opinion, the drama of wondering if they can make the relationship work when they have all these issues that need to be addressed while actively repairing the relationship is a lot more intriguing than the simple drama of “are they going to get back together?” Because I know that answer. The answer is yes Chenford is going to get back together. Because as frustrated as I am with this whole storyline, I know the writers are not stupid enough to break them up permanently if they don’t have to (like an actor is leaving situation). I know it’s just a matter of when they will get back together. So I don’t want to waste time watching them figure out if they will get back together when I know it’s inevitable. I want to see them work on the relationship as they are in it. That is something not a lot of shows do for a break up scenario, and it is something this show has never done before as they usually ignore the issues after the break up is resolved. It will be new and interesting to see, and all I’m asking is a chance to see it and have the time to really explore that storyline.